Melissa Woodward
Melissa Woodward is a guest who is staying in Room 219 ("Bravery") with her father, Kevin Woodward. Their conflict is centered around the recent disappearance of Grace, Melissa's mother and Kevin's wife. Background When questioned by Kyle, Melissa explains that things have been rough at home for a while, because "her mom and dad were always fighting." (Talking to Kevin later reveals they were arguing about money, but it is unclear whether Melissa knows this.) At one point, Melissa told her mother she hated her and didn't need her; as a result, she blames herself for her mother's disappearance. On her most recent birthday, her mother gave her a Pinkie Rabbit puzzle with, "Goodbye Melissa," written on the back. Grace told her that Kevin would be driving her to school that day, which Melissa notes as unusual. By the time she came home, Grace had vanished. During her stay at Hotel Dusk, Melissa holds on to the puzzle as well as a doll her mother made for her. She is aware that Kevin planned their stay at Hotel Dusk, reporting that "he had to look for it on a map and stuff." According to her, Kevin said the hotel was where they'd be able to find out Grace's whereabouts. Upon discovering her mother isn't there, she becomes angry and views it as Kevin telling lies. Melissa also mentions her last Christmas was not enjoyable, as they didn't have a tree or any presents. Hotel Dusk: Room 215 Kyle Hyde first meets Melissa on the way up to his hotel room, when he finds her playing on the stairs. She refuses to move out of the way until he helps with her puzzle, after which point she throws it on the floor. Kyle convinces her to clean it up, but she misses a piece, which he holds on to. Their next meeting takes place after Louie delivers the wrong package to Kyle's room. Melissa is upset, saying she lost something important, and worries she won't be able to see her mom because of it. He gives back the puzzle piece, and she reveals it was a gift from Grace. After a bit of prompting, she draws a picture of her mother in Kyle's notebook. Around 6 PM, when Kyle goes downstairs to the restaurant, he finds Kevin scolding Melissa in the hallway. Iris later explains that Melissa threw her doll at her after Iris commented on it. Kyle retrieves the doll and comes to room 219 later to return it. Melissa is grateful to have it back, and asks Kyle to stay for a while, since her dad stepped out. After he solves her puzzle again (and discovers the message on the back), she tells him it was a gift from her mother. Not long after this, Melissa enters room 218 ("Daybreak"), and gets locked inside. The lights are off and she becomes terrified, crying for someone to help her. Kyle manages to get the power back on and pick the lock to get inside after it becomes stuck. She is grateful for what he did, and admits she came into 218 because she was mad at Kevin for (in her eyes) lying when he said they would be seeing her mother soon. Kyle grills her with questions for a few minutes before she explains the events that led to her mother leaving, and he convinces her to go back to her room. Around 8:20, Melissa knocks on Kyle's door. She tells him she ripped one of the wings on her doll, and asked for help from Martin Summer, who told her Kyle would be able to fix it. After he sews it up, she casually asks if Kyle and Jeff are friends, having seen Jeff coming out of Kyle's room earlier (not knowing this was when Jeff made his getaway after hiding money in 215's toilet tank). The next time Melissa appears is around 10:00, when Kyle finds her in the hallway outside the bar. She says her father is missing again, and complains about not having had a good Christmas. He sends her back to her room, and on the way she stops to sadly ask Rosa if the hotel has a Christmas tree. Since the tree has been taken down already, Kyle digs it out of the storage room and sets it up; Rosa sends Melissa to see it and help decorate. She is thrilled, and celebrates briefly before falling asleep on the floor in the storage room. Kyle has Louie carry her upstairs to 219. When Kyle checks out of Hotel Dusk in the morning, he finds Melissa in the downstairs hallway. She happily reports that Kevin was sitting next to her when she woke up, and "he told her good morning right away." He also told her a secret: that Grace loves her and will come home one day. Kevin appears to tell Melissa they've checked out and are leaving now. According to her, they plan to drive to the beach and then head home. She gives Kyle a big grin and waves goodbye. Personality Melissa acts typically for her age, being very childish and playful. During the first part of the game, she is shown to be a bit argumentative and speaks negatively about her father, saying she hates him and he tells lies. However, later on, she admits to being a "brat" and says she doesn't want to act that way any longer. When Kyle speaks to her in the morning, she seems remarkably happier. Appearance Melissa's hair is brown and tied back in two pigtails. She wears a gray coat over a white shirt, and a blue skirt. Trivia * Melissa claims to not know the name of the rabbit in her puzzle, guessing it as "Mister Rabbit." * If Kyle gets the Pinkie Rabbit doll as the vending machine's special prize, it will be automatically given to Melissa in chapter seven when he finds her hanging around outside the bar. She cannot be offered any other gifts. * She is Iris's niece, but it is not revealed whether she was told about their relation. Category:Characters